Review | Tom Ford Beauty Eye Color Quad in 02 Emerald Lust

The eyes are the center of the seduction story in Tom Ford’s Fall 2012 Collection. The collection’s limited edition Eye Color Quads capture sensual extremes by creating a spectrum of looks—from delicate and romantic to hedonistic and hypnotizing.

One-of-a-kind technology wraps concentrated pigments for a color-true, highly polished, multidimensional look. May be applied dry for a sleek and shimmering look or wet for a bold effect.

— Tom Ford Beauty

This palette is part of the brand’s Jardin Noir collection for Autumn 2012, though I think it’d make a lovely summer offering because of its Mediterranean colours. :)

The combination of golden ivory, teal, sapphire and mid-toned emerald is a siren song to lovers of blue and green shadows like myself. I like how it isn’t flatly green but comprises three varying tones from the blue/green colour spectrum, with a white gold to offset those shades.

These shadows are of a different formulation from those in the permanent palettes; unlike the latter, they can officially be used dry and wet. When used damp, the buttery-smooth colours – already leaning towards a frosty finish – become almost-metallic and incredibly intense.

In addition, unlike the flat sparkles of Sahara Haze (one of the palettes in the permanent range), the fine glitter bits in this palette tend to be less evenly-distributed and more given to fallout, though not in a terribly scattered manner. Rather, you will see sparkling specks here and there, be it on the eyes…or elsewhere on the face. I do wish they had the adhering quality and the focused light-catching feature of their counterpart in the other palette. Thankfully, they stay on much better when wet or over a slightly-tacky eyeshadow base.

Here are 2 different eye looks with the palette. As you can tell, the colours are rich and beautifully blendable; their complementary nature enhancing their seamless transitions. I’d wanted to do a less intense eye to show the palette’s versatility but I didn’t get around to it (sorry). Nevertheless, rest assured that this palette is as easy to play down as it is to create strong looks with.

Tom Ford Beauty Eye Color Quads are a neat S$100 in Singapore, while they retail at £62 and US$75 in the UK and US respectively.

This palette was a press piece from Estée Lauder and is sadly unavailable in Singapore. However, the brand’s travel retail office tells me it might still be found at Heathrow Airport Terminals 3 and 5, where the complete Tom Ford Beauty collection is carried. So if you’re travelling through there or have friends who are, do look out for it before it’s completely sold out (I believe it’s limited edition). It is likely to be cheaper at the London airport too, as duty-free merchandise tends to cost less. The last time I checked, the eyeshadow palettes were just slightly more than £50. :)